Groin Area Shield

ABSTRACT

An athletic garment for protecting genitals of a user includes shorts having a pair of leg receiving portions and a flap defining a pocket centered in a groin region. The pocket extends in front of a portion of each of the leg receiving portions. A protective shield is disposed within the pocket and includes an arch portion and left and right wings extending laterally outward from opposing sides of the arch portion. The left wing extends over a portion of one of the leg receiving portions and the right wing extends over a portion of the other of the leg receiving portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 61/914,508 filed Dec. 11, 2013, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to protective shields for athletic competitionthat are intended to protect the groin area of a participant frominjury.

BACKGROUND

In a wide variety of athletic competitions there is a risk of injury toa participant's groin area that may be caused by contact with anothercompetitor, a flying projectile, or a fixed object. In sports such ashockey, baseball, lacrosse, and the like, a puck or ball potentiallytravelling at speeds greater than 100 miles per hour may be driven intocontact with a participant. If the puck or ball is driven into the groinarea of the participant a painful and debilitating injury may besuffered.

Athletic cups placed within a supporter are the conventional form ofprotection from such injuries. Cups are uncomfortable and may impede legmovement while running or skating and may limit the participant's speedand effectiveness. Referring to FIG. 1 a cup as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 7,712,156 is illustrated by way of example. If an object contactsthe cup above the widest part of the cup, the force of the impact isapplied to the pubic bone and the tendons and ligaments sides of thegroin an may result in a painful injury. If an object contacts the cupbelow the widest part of the cup, the force of the impact may drive thecup into the participant's genitalia and may result in a more painfulinjury.

A newer design of a cup sold under the trademark “The NuttyBuddy®” asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,921 is shown in FIG. 2 to include arigid shield that is contoured around the testicles and includes curvedportions that extend above and below the part of the shield thatprotects sensitive areas near the testicles. This device, especially ifnot well fitted, may also impede leg movement while running or skating.This approach provides greater protection for the testicles but forcesapplied to the upper portion of the device must be absorbed by theabdominal muscle wall. Forces applied to the device to the lower portionof the device are directed to the tendons and ligaments on the sides ofthe groin area or the genitalia and may also result in a painful injury.

The groin area shield disclosed in the attached drawings and thefollowing description is directed to solving the above problems andother problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a prior art protective cup.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a prior art contoured shield type ofprotective cup.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a groin area protective shield madeaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a groin area protective shield madeaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 inFIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 inFIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a groin area protective shield madeaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of this disclosure an athletic garment forprotecting genitals of a user includes shorts having a pair of legreceiving portions and a flap defining a pocket centered in a groinregion. The pocket extends in front of a portion of each of the legreceiving portions. A protective shield is disposed within the pocketand includes an arch portion and left and right wings extendinglaterally outward from opposing sides of the arch portion. The left wingextends over a portion of one of the leg receiving portions, and theright wing extends over a portion of the other of the leg receivingportions. Each of the wings may include an arcuate portion contoured tomatch the shape of a user's thigh.

The athletic garment may also include raised ribs extending between thearch portion and each of the left and right wings to increase stiffnessof the shield. Each of the left and right wings may also include atleast one corner portion connected to each of the left and right wingsby a living hinge.

According to another aspect of this disclosure an athletic protectiondevice includes a protective shield for protecting male genitals. Theshield includes an arch portion shaped to protect the genitals, and apair of wings extending from opposing sides of the arch portion toengage a thigh a user.

The athletic protection device may also include raised ribs extendingbetween the arch portion and each of the wings to increase stiffness ofthe shield. The athletic protection device may be secured to the userwith compression shorts. The compression shorts may include a pair ofleg receiving portions and a flap defining a pocket centered in a groinregion and extending in front of a portion of each of the leg receivingportions. The protective shield may be disposed within the pocket witheach of the wings extending in front of a portion of one of the legreceiving portions.

The athletic protection device may also be attached to the compressionshorts with hook and loop fasteners rather than a pocket. Here, the archportion is centered over the groin region and each of the wings extendspartly across one of the leg receiving portions. Each of the wings maybe secured to the compression shorts with hook and loop fasteners.

According to yet another aspect of this disclosure a protective shieldfor male genitals includes an arch portion shaped to shield thegenitals, and left and right wings extending from opposing lateral sidesof the arch portion. The left wing is shape to be held against the leftthigh of a user and the right wing in shape to be held against the rightthigh of the user. When in use, an impact to the arch portion istransferred to the first impact flow path extending between the archportion and the right-wing, and into a second impact flow path extendingbetween the arch portion and the left wing. The impact force applied tothe arch portion is transferred along the first flow path into the rightthigh, and is transferred along the second flow path into the leftthigh.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to thedrawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare intended to be merely examples that may be embodied in various andalternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. The specific structural and functional details disclosed arenot to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts.

Referring to FIG. 3, a groin area protective shield 10 made according toone aspect of this invention disclosure is illustrated. The groin areaprotective shield 10 includes a groin area arch 12 that is flanked onright and left sides by a right thigh support wing 16 and a left thighsupport wing 18. The groin area protection shield 10 is made from rigidpolyethylene polymer filled with approximately 20% talc. Alternatively,the shield can be made from acrylic, polystyrene or polyurethanepolymers that are filled or fiber reinforced to obtain the desired levelof strength and stiffness. The groin area shield is either molded toshape or formed into shape from a flat blank of the desired polymer. Thegroin area shield 10 is intended to be used in place of a conventionalcup.

The top of the shield is defined by a top edge 20 and the bottom of theshield is defined by a bottom edge 22. The top edge 20 includes an archportion upper side 21, a left wing upper side 23 and a right wing upperside 25. The arch portion upper side 21 defines the upper most point ofthe top edge 22. The upper sides 23, 25 are lower than the arch portionupper side 21. (i.e. when worn, the upper sides 23, 25 are at a lowerheight than the arch portion upper side 21.)

The groin area arch 12 is of greater depth near the top edge 20 toconform to the shape of a person's lower abdomen just above the groinarea. The depth of the groin area arch 12 is reduced in the lowerportion of the groin area shield and is approximately co-extensive withthe right thigh support wing 16 and the left thigh support wing 18 inthe forward direction when worn by a person. Each of the wing 16, 18includes an arcuate portion 24 sized and shaped to match a user's thighfor increased comfort and better fit.

Referring to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of a groin areaprotection shield 30 is illustrated that includes a plurality ofbridging ribs 32 that provide additional reinforcement. The groin areaprotection shield 30 includes a groin area arch 36 that is flanked onright and left sides by a right thigh support wing 38 and a left thighsupport wing 40. The bridging ribs 32 extend from the groin area arch 36to the right thigh support wing 38 and a left thigh support wing 40. Thebridging ribs 32 resist compression, or rearward deflection, of thegroin area arch 36. The bridging ribs 38 and 40 also function tomaintain the shape of the groin area protection shield 30 across thewidth of the shield 30 and provide added impact strength.

The top of the shield is defined by a top edge 42 and the bottom of theshield is defined by a bottom edge 44. The top edge 42 includes an archportion upper side 41, a left wing upper side 43 and a right wing upperside 45. The upper sides 43, 45 are lower than the arch portion upperside 41. (i.e. when worn, the upper sides 43, 45 at a lower height thanthe arch portion upper side 41.)

As with the embodiment of FIG. 3, the groin area arch 36 is of greaterdepth near the top edge 42 to conform to the shape of a person's lowerabdomen just above the groin area. The depth of the groin area arch 36is reduced in the lower portion of the groin area shield and isapproximately co-extensive with the right thigh support wing 38 and theleft thigh support wing 40 in the forward direction. The perimeter ofthe groin area protection shield 30 is shown with a rounded thickenededge 48 that adds to the structural rigidity of the shield 30 and alsoprevents chaffing or irritation of the skin by the shield.

Referring to FIGS. 5, the groin area protection shield 10 shown in FIG.3 is shown in a vertical cross-sectional view as worn by a person 50over their genitalia 52 in a pair of compression shorts 56. The rightthigh support wing 16 and left thigh support wing 18 are held firmlyagainst the top portion of the person's thighs by the compression shorts56. The compression shorts 56 may have a pair of leg receiving portions64, and a flap 62 that defines a pocket 58 for receiving the groin areaprotection shield 10 therein. The pocket 58 is centered over thegenitalia or groin region 52 and extends in front of a portion of eachof the leg receiving portions 64. The left wing 18 extends over portionof one of the leg receiving portions and the right wing 16 extends overa portion of the other of the leg receiving portions.

Alternatively, a strip of Velcro® hook and loop fastening material (notshown) may be provided on the groin area protection shield 10 andcompression shorts 56 to hold the shield in place in front of thegenitalia 52 in lieu of the pocket 58.

The arrow “A” shown in FIG. 5 indicates the desired spacing between thegroin area arch 12 and the person's genitalia 52. The spacing “A”permits limited deflection of the shield 10 while preventing contact bythe shield against the genitalia 52. The groin area arch 12 of the groinarea protection shield 10 extends from well above to a point below theperson's genitalia 52. The compression shorts 56 envelop the genitalia52 from below restricting movement to a limited extent without impedingleg movement.

Referring to FIG. 6, the groin area protection shield 10 shown in FIG. 3is shown from below in a horizontal cross-sectional view as worn by aperson 50 over their genitalia 52 in a pair of compression shorts 56.The arrow “A” again indicates the spacing between the groin area arch 12and the genitalia 52. Arrow “I” indicates an impact force applied to thegroin area arch 12 in an athletic competition such as an impact from ahockey puck, a lacrosse ball, baseball, or the like. The impact force“I” is transferred by the groin area arch 12 to the right thigh wing 16and the left thigh wing 18. Force arrows “R” & “L” indicate the forcesthat are, in turn, applied to the upper portion of the thighs 60. Theupper portions of the thighs 60 are protected by substantial muscle massand resistant to injury unlike the sensitive genitalia or the tendonsand ligaments on the sides of the person's groin area.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a similar transfer of the impact forceoccurs but the bridging ribs 38 and 40 increase the level of force thatmay be transferred from the groin area arch 12 to the right thigh wing16 and the left thigh wing 18. The bridging ribs also increase theresistance to compression of the groin area arch 12.

The left and right wings 16, 18 are held firmly against the user'sthigh. In some embodiments the left and right wings 16, 18 are shaped toextend across the anterior portion 66 of the user's thigh muscle. Theleft and right wings 16, 18 may also be shaped to extend across at leasta portion of the sartorius muscle 68 of the user's thigh.

Referring to FIG. 7, an alternative embodiment of a groin areaprotection shield 70 includes a groin area arch 72 that is flanked onright and left sides by a right thigh support wing 74 and a left sidesupport wing 76. Each of the wings 74, 76 includes an arcuate portion78. A plurality of ribs 80 extend between the arch portion 72 and eachof the wings 74, 76. Each of the wings 74, 76 includes at least onecorner portion 82 flexibly attached to the wing with a living hinge 84.

In the illustrated embodiment, two living hinges 84 are diagonallyoriented relative to an intermediate portion 96. Two corner portions 82are flexibly attached to the intermediate portion 96 by the livinghinges 84. The living hinges 84 are thinner than the corner portions 82and the intermediate portions 96. The living hinge 84 providesflexibility in the corner areas where the corner portions contact 82 thethighs while the intermediate portion provides stiffness thatfacilitates the transfer of the force of an impact applied to the groinarea arch 72 to the thighs.

A first flap 86 is attached to an outer edge of the right wing 74 with apair of rivets 88, and a second flap 90 is attached to an outer edge ofthe left-wing 76 with a pair of rivets 92. Each of the flaps 86, 90includes an attachment side 94 having hook and loop fasteners (i.e.Velcro®). Alternatively, the flaps may be omitted and the shield 70 maybe received within a pocket on a pair of compression shorts.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the disclosed apparatusand method. Rather, the words used in the specification are words ofdescription rather than limitation, and it is understood that variouschanges may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure as claimed. The features of various implementing embodimentsmay be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosed concepts.

What is claimed is:
 1. An athletic garment for protecting a groin regionof a user comprising: shorts including a pair of leg receiving portionsand a flap defining a pocket centered in the groin region and extendingin front of a portion of each of the leg receiving portions; and aprotective shield disposed within the pocket that includes an archportion, and a left wing and a right wing extending laterally outwardfrom opposing sides of the arch portion, the left wing extending over aportion of one of the leg receiving portions and the right wingextending over a portion of the other of the leg receiving portions. 2.The athletic garment of claim 1 wherein the protective shield furtherincludes raised ribs extending between the arch portion and each of theleft and right wings to increase stiffness of the shield.
 3. Theathletic garment of claim 1 wherein each of the left and right wingsfurther includes at least one corner portion connected to each of theleft and right wings by a living hinge.
 4. The athletic garment of claim1 wherein each of the left and right wings are shaped to extend acrossan anterior portion of a user's thigh muscle.
 5. The athletic garment ofclaim 4 wherein each of the left and right wings are shaped to extendacross at least a portion of a sartorius muscle of the user's thigh. 6.The athletic garment of claim 1 wherein each of the left and right wingsincludes and arcuate portion contoured to match a shape of a portion ofa user's thigh.
 7. The athletic garment of claim 1 wherein each of theleft and right wings includes a pair of corner portions that are eachattached by a living hinge, wherein the corner portions are flexiblyconnected to an intermediate portion of each of the wings.
 8. Theathletic garment of claim 1 wherein the arch portion defines an upperside, the left wing defines an upper side, and the right wing defines anupper side, and wherein the upper side of the left wing and upper sideof the right wing is lower than the upper side of the arch portion. 9.An athletic protection device comprising: a protective shield forprotecting male genitals, the shield including an arch portion shaped toprotect the genitals and a pair of wings extending from opposing sidesof the arch portion to engage a thigh of a user.
 10. The athleticprotection device of claim 9 wherein the protective shield furtherincludes raised ribs extending between the arch portion and each of thewings to increase stiffness of the shield.
 11. The athletic protectiondevice of claim 9 further comprising shorts including a pair of legreceiving portions and a flap defining a pocket centered in a groinregion and extending in front of a portion of each of the leg receivingportions, wherein the protective shield is disposed within the pocketwith each of the wings extending in front of a portion of one of the legreceiving portions.
 12. The athletic protection device of claim 9further comprising shorts including a groin region and a pair of legreceiving portions, wherein the arch portion is centered over the groinregion and each of the wings extends partly across one of the legreceiving portions.
 13. The athletic protection device of claim 12wherein the wings are attached to the leg receiving portions with a hookand loop fastener.
 14. The athletic protection device of claim 9 whereineach of the wings includes at least one corner portion attached by aliving hinge, wherein the corner portions are flexibly connected to anintermediate portion of each of the wings.
 15. The athletic protectiondevice of claim 9 wherein each of the wings includes an arcuate portioncontoured to match a shape of a portion of the thigh.
 16. The athleticgarment of claim 9 wherein each of the left and right wings are shapedto extend across an anterior portion of the thigh.
 17. The athleticgarment of claim 9 wherein each of the left and right wings are shapedto extend across at least a portion of a sartorius muscle of the thigh.18. The athletic garment of claim 9 wherein the arch portion defines anupper side, the left wing defines an upper side, and the right wingdefines an upper side, and wherein the upper side of the left wing andupper side of the right wing is lower than the upper side of the archportion.
 19. A protective shield for male genitals comprising: an archportion shaped to shield the genitals; and left and right wingsextending from opposing lateral sides of the arch portion, the left wingbeing shaped to be held against a left thigh of a user and the rightwing being shaped to be held against a right thigh of the user, whereinan impact to the arch portion is transferred to a first impact flow pathextending between the arch portion and the right wing, and to a secondimpact flow path extending between the arch portion and the left wing,wherein the impact force applied to the arch portion is transferredalong the first flow path into the right thigh and is transferred alongthe second flow path into the left thigh.
 20. The athletic garment ofclaim 19 wherein the arch portion defines an upper side, the left wingdefines an upper side, and the right wing defines an upper side, andwherein the upper side of the left wing and upper side of the right wingis lower than the upper side of the arch portion.